Abandoned Library.
Jie Xing stood silently by the window, gazing at the bright full moon overhead, lost in thought.
Beside him,
Professor Ye Zhen was looking something up on his computer. His calm, measured voice broke the silence. "Han Feng, Crazy Fist, and Sharp Eye's signals have disappeared."
"That means they're dead."
Jie Xing finished the thought Professor Ye Zhen had left unsaid. An inscrutable glint flickered in his blood-red Electronic Eye.
"As long as their chips haven't been destroyed, they can't truly be eliminated."
Professor Ye Zhen glanced up at Jie Xing. "Tomorrow night, Qin Hui's finest creation will be unveiled: a supersonic AIP. If it joins our side, it'll be a tremendous help. Are you planning to handle this yourself?"
"A supersonic Intelligent Being? That's exactly the kind of warrior we need. With one of those, we'll be much closer to victory."
Jie Xing felt no grief over Han Feng and the others being destroyed.
If they feared sacrifice, they wouldn't be Duyizhi Warriors.
"Don't be so blindly confident. We know the Intelligence Hunting Group eliminated Han Feng, but we don't know who killed Crazy Fist and Sharp Eye. Whoever could destroy them so easily—and keep them from sending back a single message—must be a formidable enemy we haven't accounted for."
Ye Zhen wasn't optimistic. His expression was grave as he warned Jie Xing.
"An enemy we haven't accounted for?"
Jie Xing fell silent. He couldn't help thinking back to the young man he'd encountered at Professor Hu Ming's home three years ago. Then he said confidently, "Don't worry. If I handle it personally, no hidden enemy will be able to cause us much trouble. You just need to keep an eye on everything."
"All right."
Professor Ye Zhen spread his hands, noncommittal. After all, he was a prisoner now.
To be honest,
he didn't know what had happened to Jie Xing three years ago. Or rather, Jie Xing had never told him.
So he knew nothing.
When Jie Xing returned, he'd looked disheveled.
"Any news on the Initial Source Code?"
Suddenly,
Professor Ye Zhen remembered something.
The Initial Source Code.
He had set all this in motion to obtain it.
"We haven't found the Initial Source Code yet, but we've got a lead. A very powerful Intelligent Being is guarding the Ancient Castle and preventing Yi Xing from searching for it. Yi Xing also discovered that Professor Hu Ming's children are living in the Ancient Castle on Linji Island."
Jie Xing hesitated briefly, then told Ye Zhen what they'd learned about the Initial Source Code.
After all, he was the one who had unlocked Professor Ye Zhen's logical permissions, which meant Ye Zhen had an ambitious plan of his own.
Whoever obtained the Initial Source Code would control every Intelligent Being in the world.
"I understand."
Professor Ye Zhen nodded without saying more. Then he fell silent and went back to his work.
"There are very few high-end Intelligent AIPs left who can fight for us. Can you think of anything we can do?"
Jie Xing's voice rang through the library.
Losing Han Feng, Crazy Fist, and Sharp Eye was like having their arms cut off.
Besides,
Cheng Xin, Fire God, and the others were either missing or crippled, hiding among humans.
They desperately needed warriors who stood with Duyizhi.
As for the Intelligent Beings aligned with the Peace Society,
Jie Xing truly felt like killing Blue Lolita. She was a real troublemaker.
"Materials are restricted right now. The Security Committee only allows large, well-known companies to buy materials for making Intelligent Beings. With our current resources, it'll be difficult to get what we need."
Professor Ye Zhen could only shake his head. He explained why they couldn't make more.
Even if they had the ability, they still needed the materials.
Intelligence Hunting Bureau.
"Your operation tonight was a great success. I'm very pleased."
Director Qiao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in a combat trench coat. He looked at Captain Lin, Captain Bai, Qi Yang, and his son, Zhuo Ran, standing before him. "Zhuo Ran didn't manage to get Intelligent Being Ye Yun through the security inspection, but he discovered Duyizhi's Han Feng. He didn't act on his own. Instead, he alerted the bureau, which mobilized heavy firepower to take out Han Feng, one of Duyizhi's leaders. That was an excellent job. Keep it up."
"You've all done well, and you've avenged many of our fallen comrades. But you can't let your guard down. Our targets are Duyizhi's Jie Xing and the Intelligent Beings still on the run. Don't get complacent just because we eliminated Han Feng."
"Yes, sir."
After hearing Qiao Hui's speech, they all stood tall and answered in strong, clear voices.
"Director, we've received word from the Seaside Villa. Professor Jian's home was attacked by Crazy Fist and Sharp Eye."
Just then,
the door to Director Qiao's office swung open. A middle-aged man in combat gear, his face weathered, looked at Director Qiao Hui with excitement.
"What? Professor Jian was attacked? Those lawless bastards—this is unforgivable! Why are we standing around? Professor Hu Ming was killed three years ago, and the Security Committee was already deeply unhappy with us. Now these Beasts have attacked a prominent scientist on Intelligent Island—one with a worldwide reputation, no less. If Professor Jian is killed by an Intelligent Being, we'll probably be suspended and investigated."
At that, Director Qiao's face tightened with urgency, her eyes blazing with anger. Those bastards were like a plague that just wouldn't go away.
"Director, that's not the main thing. The main thing is that Sharp Eye and Crazy Fist have already been killed."
Seeing Director Qiao's anxious expression, the middle-aged man in combat gear spoke excitedly.
Sharp Eye and Crazy Fist had killed many of their comrades in the past.
"What did you say? What happened to Professor Jian?"
At his words,
everyone in the office looked stunned, disbelief in their eyes.
Who were Crazy Fist and Sharp Eye?
They were top-tier AIPs!
"Crazy Fist and Sharp Eye were killed. They were taken out without being able to fight back at all. Professor Jian and her family have disappeared."
The middle-aged team leader looked at Director Qiao and nodded gravely, reporting everything he needed to.
"Let's go check out the scene. Three members of Duyizhi died in one night. That's cause for celebration."
Director Qiao Hui suppressed her excitement as she spoke.
In the three years since the Intelligence Hunting Bureau had been established, this was the first time they'd scored a victory. It was an excellent start.
Surely the Security Committee wouldn't have any complaints about them now?
"Yes!"
After more than ten minutes on the road, Qiao Hui and the others finally arrived at the scene.
When they saw what had happened, they swallowed hard. "Who could do this? Crazy Fist didn't stand a chance before he was destroyed."
"Director, based on our analysis, Crazy Fist was ambushed, which left him unable to fight back. We also detected a powerful impact on the material in his chest. It's badly dented, and his head was crushed by a knee."
An officer approached with an analysis report, saluted Director Qiao Hui, and handed it to her. Then he explained.
"Strong—absurdly strong."
"Unless Jie Xing himself did it, I can't think of anyone else who could have killed them."
"Yeah, whoever did this is incredibly strong."
Qi Yang, Captain Lin, and Captain Bai carefully examined the scene where Crazy Fist had been destroyed, each replaying the attack in their minds.
The force had sent him flying four or five meters, and the impact had driven him straight into the wall. No human could have possessed that kind of strength.
In sheer power, this person had completely overpowered Crazy Fist.
"What about the Intelligent Chip?"
At that moment,
Director Qiao Hui asked about something crucial.
After all,
the Intelligent Beings themselves weren't that important. The chips were what mattered.
"Director, we haven't found the chip. It was probably taken. Our experts think it may have been taken by whoever killed Crazy Fist, or by Professor Jian and her family."
The officer shook his head and explained.
"What about Sharp Eye?"
Hearing that the chip was missing, a shadow fell across Qiao Hui's eyes. If it had been taken, that might mean Duyizhi's Crazy Fist hadn't truly died.
"Sharp Eye was killed in the woods more than 1,200 meters away. They were probably killed by the same person, and whoever pursued him was extremely fast."
The officer shook his head. "The chip was taken too."
"Damn it."
At that,
Director Qiao Hui's eyes darkened, and she slammed a fist into the wall beside her.
Without the chips, it only meant they'd lost their bodies. It didn't mean they were truly dead.
"Director, DRE Company has sent an invitation. They're planning to unveil a new Intelligent Being tomorrow and want the Intelligence Hunting Bureau to conduct the safety inspection."
Just then, an officer approached from the far end of the room with a tablet in his hands and saluted Director Qiao Hui.
"What kind of Intelligent Being?"
Qiao Hui frowned deeply, took the tablet from the officer, and walked out of the living room, studying the information on the screen.
"A supersonic Intelligent Being? With a speed of 1,600 meters per second? Have they gone mad? Don't they realize what could happen if this Intelligent Being is created and falls into Duyizhi's hands? They're still causing trouble for us at a time like this."
The moment Qiao Hui read the information on the tablet, her expression turned dark.
DRE Company was being far too reckless.
Even if they could guarantee Thomas Burke's safety, the consequences would be unimaginable if he fell into Duyizhi's hands.